About Me

Portrait of Tristan Hanford

A quick intro

I’m an engineer who likes to make ideas real. I grew up taking things apart to understand how they worked, and that curiosity never left. I’m happiest when I’m balancing practical build work with thoughtful design: clean packaging, clear documentation, and systems that people enjoy servicing and using. I studied at Purdue, I’m deeply into automotive, and I still love the feeling of flow—whether it’s dialing a CAD model, learning a new tool, or carving a snowboard line. I’m quick to listen, direct when needed, and obsessive about leaving the work cleaner than I found it.

Outside the shop, I’m a pet person and a tinkerer. I like approachable teams, honest constraints, and projects where the outcome is something we’re proud to put our names on.

How I Work

  1. Frame the problem

    Clarify goals, success criteria, constraints, and interfaces. Align early so work is decisive.

  2. Design deliberately

    Package for serviceability, safety, and future changes. Prefer clear, modular choices over clever ones.

  3. Build and instrument

    Prototype quickly, wire cleanly, measure thoughtfully. Make the system observable from day one.

  4. Test and iterate

    Validate under realistic load, capture issues, and shorten the loop. Improve reliability without drama.

  5. Document for handoff

    Produce prints, notes, and procedures that future teammates will thank us for.

Core Skills & Interests

  • CAD (NX / Creo)
  • Automotive
  • Wiring & PDM
  • Cooling & Thermals
  • Testing & Docs
  • MATLAB / Python
  • Snowboarding
  • Pets
  • Tinkering